Okay, this is the first pub that you hit when you enter Kyneton from the railway station side, so…read moreit was not surprising that as I was dragging my suitcase into town that this was the first place that I ended up stopping at (even if only for a drink). Well, it turned out that I was going to stay here for a lot longer that I expected because even though it was going to take a little time for my meal to be cooked, as soon as I sat down I heard my name called out and sure enough, sitting at a table around the corner, were a group of friends. The steak was okay, but not really the best that I have, but the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff certainly made up for that. I also have to admit that it was a pretty nice pub, with a typical country atmosphere, and while they did have a craft beer on tap, it happen to be James Squire, so I tend not to consider that to be a member of the craft beer family.

The food is always good here. The staff are friendly and attentive. Try and get a seat near the…read morefire in winter. It makes for a very romantic occasion.

It may be in the middle of nowhere, but it's a bloody good pub!…read more Radio Springs is the most fantastic and weird mix of a tiny little local, constantly buzzing with the inhabitants of Lyonville, and quite a fancy restaurant, offering some pretty delicious (though not super cheap) dinner options. I had the steak with garlic sauce which was pretty damn drool worthy. The chips & vegies on the side were great too. Radio Springs is a little bit like visiting someone's house- you can sit on the open verandah area and have a beer if the weather is nice, feast on dinner around the fireplace with a live band in the background if that's what suits, or head around to the red room at the back, where you'll feel transported to a different era in the rather elegant and dimly lit dining room. This one is worth a visit for the overall experience. Don't expect a regular restaurant as this place is in a world of it's own, but I'm not complaining!

Between Dalysford and Trentham in what can be called inner rural Victoria, or more to the point a…read moretown called Lyonville, places like the Radio Springs are a bit of an oasis. the place had a wonderful eclecticism going on, and when you walk into the rather small space we found the walls held up be several musicians playing very laid back tunes together. The music is ragtime and 1940s things and the bartender is nowhere to be seen. It's only when the song had finished and one of hem stands up and walks round the other side of the counter that it sinks in. This is pub full if the most intimate of locals, locals from all around. There are actual hotel facilities (unlike several places in Melbourne called a Hotel, which are in fact only a pub). From what I heard they're reasonable rooms and in nice surroundings when the sun's up.

I guess this is just one of those standard pubs that you tend to find about the place, though of…read morecourse this pub does happen to be located in a small town. I guess it is one of those 'day trip' towns, and the pub certainly does reflect that, and it is open reasonably often. I found that the service was actually pretty good, and they also had a rather nice beer garden down the side. When I was here it was rather quiet and relaxing, and I certainly didn't mind the place. Oh, and there were a couple of nice beers on tap as well.

Early dinner on the way back to Melbourne from Castlemaine. My lambsfry was good, but my wife's…read morefish (snapper) was hard and rubbery as though it had been warmed up from yesterday or boiled rfather than grilled. Desert was the lemon and lime cheesecake and was inedible: it had no flavour or sweetness or tang at all, just a big chunk of fat. We mentioned both to the waiters but received no response. We won't be back.

Hands down the best pub in Castlemaine area (worth the short drive or gorgeous bush walk from…read moretown). Great ingredients, top noch chef, awesome front of house Scottish hospitality. The locals in Chewton are a tough bunch to please and they're happy! Front bar has classy grub and some hearty AF classics like the pub chips - with gravy & cheese! Treat yo self.

This place looks so inviting and quaint from the outside but inside it's totally different. The…read morelocals stopped and stared as soon as we walked in, mind you, we only live 5 minutes away from here. And it's as though the barman was going out of his way to NOT serve us, serving everyone around us. Oh no! Outsiders? A female? People with tattoos? I don't know, but it was strange. Finally he decided to take our orders but the whole process was confusing. Do we order food from the bar or from around the corner? And there were a couple of different menus for different sized meals. Once we made our order we decided to sit in the beer garden away from everyone glaring at us. We waited ages for our food to come while people who'd arrived after us received their meals - and it certainly wasn't busy. We overheard 2 different tables of people complaining that they'd received the wrong meals. When the food finally came out it was pretty average. I mean, you kind of expect them to step up their game if you're going to wait forever for it but it definitely wasn't worth the wait. After we had finished our meal a waitress actually brought out our meals AGAIN. Somebody in the kitchen was obviously very confused and unorganised. I wouldn't recommend stopping for this pub but if you're in Chewton for some reason maybe just stand out the front for a quick drink and move along.

The Elpho, as it's affectionately know, is my local for another week or so. It's off the beaten…read moretrack, so to speak, so it's definitely a 'locals' pub. There aren't too many passers-by out this way unless there's an event on. Staff are very friendly and know everyone by name. The current owners reopened the pub almost a year ago after a kitchen fire that saw the Elpho closed for about 3 years. They remodeled the interior so it's fresher but still retains that country pub feel. The kitchen is open Wednesday through to Sunday and offers up your average pub menu and the food is tasty and pretty well priced. A burger with chips & salad or a parma will set you back around $15 or something like crumbed lamb cutlets are $20 (and I can vouch for them being freakin' delicious!). Downfall being that it's hard to pick when they're going to have a quiet or busy night. It's always safest to call up and book a table just in case because we have been denied meals in the past due to unexpected busy nights. We held an event here in August and they were very accomodating, admitting that they wouldn't be able to cater for the number of people we were expecting so they organised a woodfired pizza van to set up out front for our hungry attendees. When a few hundred people turned up (many more than we expected) and drank them out of kegs and stubbies the owner drove into town to purachse more alcohol for everyone. Now that's a commitment to customer service! They have a huge beer garden out back and stock local brews from Harcourt. They even have their own pale ale on tap. It'll be sad to leave this local behind but we're hoping to use them for another event in the future.

This great little blue stone pub takes me back to the English countryside. With a proper old school…read moremenu of classic comfort foods like lamb shanks, surf n turf, pie of the day just to name a few. This self described "haunted' pub spills tradition and a cosy welcoming feel. While my porterhouse was well done (I ordered medium) it was still of good size and grade but perhaps a little dry. The mushroom sauce was also ok but it was more of a cheap pub gravy with a few mushrooms rather than a real cream or butter based mushroom sauce. My friend had the lamb shanks and described the meal as really great. The open fires and big timer mantels made for a really nice place to stand and chat over a few too many post dinner glasses of the house / self branded Merlot at $6 a glass. Mains ranged from about $19 - $35 for the surf and turf. The staff and service is very unpretentious, welcoming and friendly. I'll be back there without question - A great spot for a hearty winter feed.

From the owner: Built in 1857 the hotel once served as the first Cobb and Co coaching stop outside Melbourne on the…read moreway to the gold fields.

Very relaxed atmosphere, a nice selection of tap beer. Food menu was good, Lamb Souvalaki excellentread more

Fantastic gastropub with a cool chilled vibe. We rocked in wearing our mountain biking gear and…read morewere greeted warmly and shown to a great casual table. Try the Pork Belly donuts and polenta chips! We've had the specials the last two times we've been - tonight's pulled lamb roast was sensational, and could only have been improved with a touch more gravy. The extensive craft beer list will satisfy the most discerning beer lover - we enjoyed (again) the Temple Brewing Bicycle Beer.